North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to provide his country with “terrifying” and unstoppable military power, state media reported today, days after the successful launch of Pyongyang’s most powerful missile to date.
On March 25, North Korea tested a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the first of 2017, the Hwasun-17, was first unveiled in November 2020 and has been called a “monster missile” by analysts.
“A country can contain and control all threats and blackmail from the imperialists only when it has formidable blows and crushing power,” North Korean news agency KCTA and Trud quoted Kim Jong-un as saying.
“We will continue to pursue our goal of strengthening our national defense capability, developing more powerful strike weapons to equip our people’s army,” he said.
The missile launched last week appears to have traveled farther and traveled higher than previous ICBMs North Korea has tested so far, surpassing even a missile designed to reach and destroy any part of the United States.
Analysts say the successful launch likely bolstered the leader’s conviction that his country is on the right track to achieve superiority in nuclear deterrence. They also believe that he will continue to test powerful weapons.
Nuclear and long-range missile tests have been suspended during talks between Kim Jong-un and former US President Donald Trump. After the failure of the Hanoi summit in 2019, diplomatic contacts between the two countries have stalled.
Pyongyang has conducted a dozen tests since the beginning of this year, and last week’s launch marked the resumption of testing of long-range missiles.